RISK

Have you ever heard of Risk? It’s a really cool board game that’s all about world domination. The goal is to use your strategic thinking and careful planning to conquer the world. You get to be a global leader and command armies, make alliances, and engage in epic battles to take over continents. It’s an exciting game that will keep you on the edge of your seat!

A BIT OF HISTORY

Risk has a fascinating history. It’s a board game that has been around for a long time. When you play, you’ll see a map of the world that looks like it’s from a different time, like during the time of Napoleon. Each player has their own colored tokens that represent their military forces. It’s like being a general and leading your troops to victory!

Hey there! Did you know that the game called ‘Risk’ has an interesting history? It was actually first created by a French director named Albert Lamorisse. He came up with the idea for a game called ‘La Conqute du Monde’ or ‘The Conquest of the World’. The game was released in France in 1957 by Parker Brothers, and it became a huge success.

After just two years, ‘Risk’ made its way to America under the name ‘Risk! The Continental Game’. The game had a colorful board and little wooden shapes that represented different armies. People loved it right away, and players from all walks of life started playing. It gained so much popularity that over the years, many different versions of the game were created.

So you see, ‘Risk’ has been entertaining people for decades, and it all started with a simple yet exciting idea. It’s amazing how a game can bring people together and create so much fun!

In 2008, Hasbro launched an updated version of the classic Risk board game. The new version featured more modern, artistic playing pieces shaped like arrows of varying sizes, which represent the movement of forces. They also introduced cities, capitals, and different objectives, both major and minor, which added a layer of complexity to the game while still keeping it accessible for new players.

THE EQUIPMENT

Game Board: The Risk game board is a map divided into 6 continents and a total of 42 territories. Each continent is marked with a different color and contains between 4 to 12 territories. The numbers at the bottom of the board indicate the number of armies you’ll receive when you trade in a set of cards.

Armies: I’ll tell you about the different types of armies you can have. There are six complete sets, and each one has three types:

1. Infantry: Imagine a brave soldier on the battlefield. You need 1 army of infantry.

2. Cavalry: Now, picture a group of fast riders on powerful horses. You need 5 armies of infantry to form 1 cavalry army.

3. Artillery: This is the big one! It takes a lot of soldiers and resources to create an artillery army. You can either use 10 infantry armies or 2 cavalry armies to make 1 artillery army.

Let’s talk about the game. We start with infantry pieces, but as the game progresses, we have the option to trade them for Cavalry or Artillery. It all depends on their values, which you can see above.

Now, let’s move on to the cards. There are a total of 42 cards, each one displaying a territory along with a picture of Infantry, Cavalry, or Artillery. Two special “wild” cards exist, featuring all three pictures but no specific territory. Additionally, there are 12 Secret Mission cards, but you only need those if you’re playing Secret Mission Risk. Feel free to remove them otherwise.

Getting Started

Planning is crucial in Risk. The initial placement of armies sets the stage for future battles, so think carefully at this stage.

First, choose a color. Then, depending on the number of players, distribute the appropriate number of armies:

If there are 3 players, each player gets 35 armies.

If you’re playing a game of Risk with 4 players, each player starts with 30 armies. With 5 players, it’s 25 armies each, and with 6 players, it’s 20 armies each. However, when there are only 2 players, things change a bit. Normally, each player would get 50 armies, but in more recent versions of the game, they only get 40 armies each. There is also a neutral territory in this case, which starts with 40 defensive armies for both players. These armies can only be used for defense and never for offense. When one player attacks the neutral country, the other player will roll the dice for that country. It’s an interesting twist that adds an extra level of strategy to the game.

As a player, I’m going to guide you through the setup of the game Risk. Here’s how to get started:

To begin, allocate the initial number of armies in front of each player. Make sure they are stacked neatly.

Now, let’s determine who goes first. Roll the dice, and the person with the highest number will take the first turn. If there’s a tie, roll again until there’s a clear winner. The first player will start by placing one infantry piece on a country of their choice, thereby claiming it as their territory. From there, gameplay will proceed in a clockwise direction.

Next, it’s time to distribute the remaining armies. Each player will take turns placing one army at a time on unoccupied territories. This will continue until all territories on the board have been claimed.

Once every territory has an occupant, each player will place one additional army on any territory they already occupy. This step will repeat until all players have utilized all their armies. Remember, there’s no limit to how many armies you can place on a single territory.

To add an element of surprise, we’ll introduce Risk cards. Shuffle the cards and place the deck face-down next to the board. This will serve as the draw pile for the game.

Lastly, the player who initially placed the first army will have the honor of taking the first turn. Now you’re ready to begin the game of Risk!

With these instructions in mind, you’ll be able to set up the game and start your exciting journey to world domination. Have fun and may the odds be in your favor!

THE PLAY

Lemme break it down for ya. The name of the game is all about capturing and crushing your enemy’s territory. But here’s the deal: it ain’t just about brute force. Nah, nah. Winning this thing takes smarts and strategy. You gotta plan your moves real carefully and know when to strike and when to defend.

THREE STEP TURN

1. First things first, you gotta get yourself some new armies and put ’em in the right spots.
2. Now, if you’re feelin’ fierce, you can go on the attack. Just roll them dice and see what happens.
3. Once all that’s done, it’s time to make sure you’re sitting pretty. You gotta fortify your position, just in case.

GAINING AND PLACING NEW ARMIES

Every turn, I need to figure out how many new armies to add to my territories. Here’s what I consider:

1. The number of territories I have
2. The value of the continents I control
3. The value of the matched sets of Risk cards I trade in
4. The territory shown on the Reinforcement card

TERRITORIES

At the beginning of each turn, including my first, I count how many territories I own and divide that number by three, ignoring any extra territories. The result tells me how many new armies I will receive. Even if I have less than 9 territories, I always get a minimum of 3 armies. For example, if I have 14 territories, I will get 4 new armies.

CONTINENTS

When your turn begins, you’ll receive armies based on the continents you control. To take control of a continent, you need to occupy all its territories. The number of armies you earn for each continent is listed in the chart at the bottom left of the game board.

EXCHANGING CARDS FOR ARMIES

In Risk, the objective is to collect a set of 3 cards. A set can consist of either three cards of the same type (like 3 Infantry, 3 Cavalry, or 3 Artillery), one of each of the 3 types, or any 2 cards plus a wild card. You can exchange a full set of cards at the start of your turn, or you can wait. However, if you have 5 or 6 cards, you must exchange at least one set.

You can exchange a set of cards for additional armies based on the number of matches in the set. Keep the matched cards face up beneath the game board for quick reference.

• First Set – 4 armies

Risk: Understanding the Rules

Hey there! I want to talk to you about Risk, a super fun game that you’re gonna love. It’s a strategy game where you get to conquer territories and rule the world! But before we jump into it, we need to understand the rules. Let’s break it down, shall we?

SETUP

First things first, let’s set up the game. Each player will choose a color and receive a certain number of armies, depending on the number of players. It goes like this:

• 2 Players – 40 armies
• 3 Players – 35 armies
• 4 Players – 30 armies
• 5 Players – 25 armies
• 6 Players – 20 armies

Once the armies are distributed, everyone takes turns placing their armies on the territories they want to conquer. Remember, you can only place one army per territory until every territory has at least one army. Easy peasy, right?

TRADE-IN CARDS

Now, let’s talk about trading in cards. Throughout the game, you’ll collect cards as you conquer territories. When you have three cards of the same symbol, you can trade them in for even more armies! The number of armies you get depends on the set you trade in. Here’s how it works:

• First Set – 4 armies
• Second Set – 6 armies
• Third Set – 8 armies
• Fourth Set – 10 armies
• Fifth Set – 12 armies
• Sixth Set – 15 armies

And here’s the best part – for each additional set you trade in after the sixth one, you get an extra 5 armies! So, the more sets you trade in, the more armies you’ll have to conquer new territories. Oh, and if one of the cards you trade in has a territory you already occupy, you’ll get an additional 2 armies. Cool, huh? Just make sure to place those armies in the corresponding territory.

ATTACKING

Now that we have our armies placed, it’s time to attack! The goal here is to defeat all the armies occupying a territory in order to capture it. Battles are fought by rolling dice. If you don’t feel like attacking, you can pass the dice to the player on your left. However, you can still fortify your position even if you decide not to attack. It’s all part of the strategy!

So there you have it – the basics of Risk. Now that you know the rules, it’s time to gather your friends, set up the game, and conquer the world! Have fun and may the odds be ever in your favor!

Whenever you want, you can end an attack or multiple attacks. If you manage to capture at least one territory, you get to draw a Risk card from the draw pile. But remember, you can only draw one card per turn, no matter how many territories you capture.

THE RULES FOR ATTACKS

• You can only attack territories that are adjacent to your own or connected to it by a dashed line.
• Make sure you have at least two armies in the territory you want to attack from.
• You can keep attacking a territory until you eliminate all its armies, or you can switch your attack to other adjacent territories. You can attack as many territories as you want.

HOW TO LAUNCH AN ATTACK

First, announce which territory you plan to attack and the territory you are attacking from. Then, roll the dice against your opponent.

Before we start playing the game, we need to talk about the rules. First, we both need to say how many dice we’re going to roll. And here’s the catch – we have to roll at the same time!

Alright, now let’s talk about the different types of dice. The attacker gets to roll either 1, 2, or 3 red dice. But remember, the attacker needs to have at least one more army than the number of dice they roll. On the other hand, the defender can roll 1 or 2 white dice. If the defender wants to roll 2 dice, they need to have two or more armies in their territory.

Now let’s move on to deciding the winner of a battle. We compare the highest number rolled by each player. If the attacker rolled the highest number, then the defender loses one army. But if the defender rolled the highest number, the attacker loses one army from the territory they attacked from.

These are the key rules you need to remember. Keep them in mind when playing the game!

If both of us roll more than one die, we need to compare the next highest pair and follow the same rules. In case of a tie, the person defending always wins. Plus, I can’t lose more than two armies per roll.

When I Capture Territories

Once I defeat the last enemy army, I become the owner of that territory and I must immediately occupy it. To occupy the new territory, I need to add at least as many armies as the number of dice rolled in the last battle. However, I must remember to leave at least one army in the territory I attacked from. Throughout the game, I need to make sure that every territory has at least one army.

Eliminating My Opponent

If I manage to defeat all of my opponent’s armies during my turn, I not only win the game, but I also get to collect any Risk cards they have.

• If you have more than six cards, but no fewer than two, you must trade them in.
• If you conquer a territory and winning opponent’s cards puts you at more than six, you must trade in cards on your next turn.

Strengthening Your Position

At the end of every turn, you have the option to fortify your position. This move is referred to by some players as a ‘free move.’ To fortify, you can move as many armies as you want from one of your territories to an adjacent territory. Remember, when you move armies, you need to leave at least one behind.

Achieving Victory

To win the game, your goal is to eliminate all other players and take control of all 42 territories.



WHERE TO FIND RISK BOARD GAMES

Looking to add an exciting board game to your collection? Look no further than Risk, one of the most popular and engaging games out there! Whether you’re a seasoned player or just starting out, Risk offers endless hours of fun and strategic challenges. Here are some of the different versions of Risk that you can find:

• Risk
• Risk – Game of Thrones Edition
• Risk – The Lord of the Rings Edition
• Risk – Rick and Morty Edition
• Risk – Warhammer 40,000 Edition
• Risk Legacy
• Risk Junior

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How many pieces do I start with in the game?

Hey there! So, how many players are we talking about here? Well, it depends on that. Let me break it down for you. If it’s a 2-player game, each player will start with 40 armies, and there will be a region with 40 neutral armies. For a game with 3 players, each one will get 35 armies. In a 4-player game, it’s 30 armies per player. If you’re playing with 5 players, everyone gets 25 armies. And finally, in a 6-player game, each player starts with 20 armies.

Who gets to go first?

Now, when it comes to deciding who goes first, the game rules state that players need to roll some dice. Luck can be a deciding factor here!

So, how many players can actually play Risk?

Risk is designed for 2 to 6 players. It’s flexible like that, giving you a range of options to play with your friends.

Alright, but how can you claim territories?

Now, to occupy a territory, you have to show your dominance! That means defeating all the other armies in that territory and leaving behind one of your own armies to claim it. It’s all about strategic conquest!